Tamperproof nonrefillable closure



Jan. 26, 1937. `w. a. DAMsEL ET AL TAMPERPROOF NONREPILLABLE CLOSURE Filed Sept. 3, 1936 lum' HHHHHUII I- HN mum/mfr Patented Jan. 26, 1937 Ui'iED STATES Are'r OFFICE William B. Damsel and William C. Damsel, New York, N. Y.

Application September 3, 1936, Serial No. 99,280

11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tamperproof nonrellable closures, and more particularly to novel means for permanently locking a cap to a receptacle in such manner as to prevent the contents of the receptacle from being tampered with, or the reuse of the receptacle after it has been emptied.

The primary purpose of the invention is to provide special means for locking a cap to a bottle in such a Way that if an attempt is made to remove the closure, the latter will break and from that time on indicate that the closure has been tampered with, and therefore, the contents are not genuine.

A further object is to furnish a closure structure of relatively simple and inexpensive construction which will allow the ready discharge of the original contents of the receptacle but will indicate if the closure has been tampered with or the bottle refilled.

With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the upper end portion of a bottle provided with my improved closing means, the latter being illustrated partly in vertical section and partly in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the neck portion of the bottle.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a spirally wound wire forming part of the locking means.

Fig` 4 is a side elevation of the Wire.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the cap.

Referring to the drawing, 6 designates a bottle having a neck 1, provided exteriorly with a radially disposed cavity 8 for the reception of the radially disposed end 9 of a spirally wound resilient Wire element or locking member I0, which is knurled or provided with saw teeth I I and terminates at its opposite end in a pointed tip or burr I2. The locking element encircles the neck of the bottle as shown in Fig. 1, and if desired, the neck may be provided with spaced longitudinally extending external lugs I3 having grooves I4 to receive the wire and to assist in holding the latter in position on the bottle neck. Only one end of the wire is anchored to the neck of the bottle, and consequently when the cap I5 is screwed on to the same, the wire has a tendency to contract, but if any effort is made to unscrew the cap, the wire will tend to expand due to the friction caused by the saw teeth II, and this will result in the breaking or splitting of the cap by the burr I2.

The latter is preferably formed of a suitable thermoplastic material, and it consists of a dome I6 from which depends a skirt Il having internal threads I8 which cooperate with the wire. An apertured disc or valve seat I9 is arranged between the dome and skirt, and is held in position by a gasket 20 which seals against the top of the neck of the bottle when the cap is screwed tightly on to the bottle neck.

In order to render the bottle non-relillable as long as the cap is in position, a conical valve member 2| seats on the disc 20 and normally closes the aperture in the disc. The dome is perforated with apertures for the discharge of liquid from the bottle and these apertures are preferably in the form of parallel slits 22. If the bottle is to be used for alcoholic liquors, we will make the slits 22 sufficiently narrow to permit the discharge of such liquors but too narrow to allow water to be forced into the bottle through the slits.

An auxiliary dome shaped cap 23 is removably held on the closure I5 by means of a threaded joint 24, and a sealing gasket 25 may be arranged between portions of the two caps to prevent leakage between them.

Of course, when the auxiliary cap is removed, liquid may be readily poured from the bottle, but cannot be introduced into the bottle as long as the closure l5 is in position.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that our closure means is tamperproof and non-refillable. The package is not genuine unless the cap or closure I5 is in its original position and condition. It cannot be taken off without breaking, and this destroys the genuine identity of the package. The liquid of the container must be poured through the closure I5 and the container cannot be relilled without breaking the closure, which immediately destroys the possibility of refilling the container and then using it as genuine. Of course, the closure always stays on the container until it has been emptied. Therefore, as long as it is on the container, the contents will be genuine.'

While we have disclosed what we now consider to be a preferred embodiment of the invention in such manner that the same may be readily understood by those skilled in the art, we are aware that changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In combination a receptacle member, a closure member for the receptacle member, a resilient spiral wire arranged between said members and having one of its ends free and its other ond anchored to one of said members, and the other member having threads engaging said wire and forming with the latter a threaded joint for the members, said wire frictionally engaging one of said members to cause the free end of the wire to bite into one or" said members and break the latter when an attempt is made to unscrew the closure member from the receptacle member.

2. In combination a receptacle member, a closure member for the receptacle member, a resilient spiral wire arranged between said members and having one of its ends free and its other end anchored to one of said members, and the other member having threads engaging said wire and forming with the latter a threaded joint for the members, said wire frictionally engaging one of said members to cause the free end of the wire to bite into one of said members and break the latter when an attempt is made to unscrew the closure member from the receptacle member, a valve seat in the closure member, and a check valve cooperating with said seat to prevent the introduction of liquid into the receptacle member through said closure member.

3. In combination a receptacle member, a closure member for the receptacle member, a resilient spiral wire arranged between said members and having one of its ends free and its other end anchored to one of said members, and the other member having threads engaging said wire and forming with the latter a threaded joint for the members, said wire frictionally engaging one of said members to cause the free end of the wire to bite into one of said members and break the latter when an attempt is made to unscrew the closure member from the receptacle member, a valve seat in the closure member, and a check valve cooperating with said seat to prevent the introduction of liquid into the receptacle member through said closure member, the latter also being provided with a dome having parallel slits for discharging the contents of the receptacle member.

4. In combination a receptacle member, a closure member for the receptacle member, a resilient spiral wire arranged between said members and having one of its ends free and its other end anchored to one of said members, and the other member having threads engaging said wire and forming with the latter a threaded joint for the members, said wire frictionally engaging one of said members to cause the free end of the wire to bite into one of said members and break the latter when an attempt is made to unscrew the closure member from the receptacle member, said Wire having a knurled portion for frictionally engaging one of said members.

5. In combination a receptacle member, a closure member for the receptacle member, a resilient spiral wire arranged between said members and having one of its ends free and its other end anchored to one of said members, and the other member having threads engaging said wire and forming with the latter a threaded joint for the members, said wire frictionally engaging one of said members to cause the free end of the wire to bite into one of said members and break the latter when an attempt is made to unscrew the closure member from the receptacle member, the free end of the Wire forming a burr to bite into one of said improvements.

6. In combination a receptacle member, a closure member for the receptacle member, a resilient spiral wire arranged between said members and having one of its ends free and its other end anchored to one of said members, and the other member having threads engaging said wire and forming with the latter a threaded joint for the members, said wire frictionally engaging one of said members to cause the free end of the wire to bite into one of said members and break the latter when an attempt is made to unscrew the closure member from the receptacle member, the receptacle member having spaced lugs provided with grooves for the reception of the wire.

'7. A tamperproof and non-refillable container comprising a receptacle having an outlet, a resilient spiral wire arranged on the exterior of n said outlet and having one of its ends anchored to said outlet, the opposite end of the wire being free and forming a burr, and a closure for the receptacle having an internally threaded portion surrounding said outlet and in threaded engage ment with said wire.

8. A tamperproof and non-rellable container comprising a receptacle having an outlet, a resilient spiral wire arranged on the exterior of said outlet and having one of its ends anchored to said outlet, the opposite end of the wire being free and forming a burr, and a closure for the receptacle having an internally threaded portion surrounding said outlet and in threaded engagement with said wire, said closure being provided with liquid discharge means and having an internal valve seat, and a valve member cooperating with said seat to prevent the introduction of liquid through the last-mentioned means into the receptacle.

9. A tamperproof and non-rellable container comprising a receptacle having an outlet, a resilient spiral wire arranged on the exterior of said outlet and having one of its ends anchored to said outlet, the opposite end of the wire being free and forming a burr, and a closure for the receptacle having an internally threaded portion surrounding said outlet and in threaded engagement with said wire, a portion of the outer surface of the wire being knurled and frictionally engaging the interior of the closure.

10. A tamperproof and non-reillable container comprising a receptacle having an outlet, a resilient spiral wire arranged on the exterior of said outlet and having one of its ends anchored to said outlet, the opposite end of the wire being free and forming a burr, and a closure for the receptacle having an internally threaded portion surrounding said outlet and in threaded engagement with said wire, said closure consisting of a dome from which depends a skirt, a valve seat in the closure between the dome and skirt, a sealing gasket arranged between the valve seat and the outlet of the receptacle, a check valve cooperating with said seat, said dome being provided with discharge apertures.

ll. In a structure of the character described, a locking member comprising a resilient spiral wire having one of its ends directed radially inward toward the axis of the spiral, the other end portion of the wire forming a pointed tip, and a portion of the exterior of the wire being knurled adjacent to said tip.

WILLIAM B. DAMSEL. WILLIAM C. DAMSEL. 

